I'm Here, You're There
by betterwithyou
Summary: What if Julia never died and she was still with Eli? And what is to occur when Clare develops feelings for the mysterious, green-eyed student?
1. The Beginning of the End

**A/N: Hi everyone! This is my second fanfiction but sadly, I gave up on that one due to some issues. But I will try to do my best with this one! (: I hope you enjoy this first chapter. PS, POV change sometimes.**

_Eli's POV_

_May 26__th__ 2009_. Just a few days after my girlfriend, Julia, was almost run over by a drunk driver. Luckily, I got there in time to pull her out of the way. We had a fight earlier that night due to personal family issues. She ran off on her bike and I just followed her to make sure she was okay. But what if I didn't get there in time? What if I didn't follow her? What would happen? Would she have died? Well, I don't know. It's all done for now. She's safe. A little shook up, but she's safe. And I wouldn't have it any either way.

_May 26__th__ 2010._ It's been almost a year since my last diary entry. Julia's all fine now. She mostly forgot about the incident but she still has those little moments here and there where she would get nightmares if she got run over or something. I'm glad she's fine though. This year, I'm transferring to a new school called Degrassi for my junior year, leaving Julia all alone at Bardell. I wish I could stay but I got kicked out for fighting with a teacher and taking things too far. I worry about Julia. I hope our relationship will stay strong despite our distance. I still have a month to cherish, however. There's also summer break. But after that, I don't know if we can both handle it. Oh, this should be an interesting year.

_No POV_

Elijah Goldsworthy then closed his black, leather-bounded diary and shoved it under his pillow. It may seem awkward for a teenage boy to keep a diary but to Eli, he didn't seem to mind so much. His charcoal colored hair moved with him as he jogged down the stairs to head for school for the last day of his sophomore year. His parents were already gone that morning to work so he just got into his beloved hearse named Morty, and drove off to Bardell High.

.-.

The clock is ticking agonizingly slow. Well to Eli, it was. _Ten more seconds and it's over!_, he thought. The last day of school was somewhat of a given freebie to the students. They spent the day doing some sort of teacher adviser homeroom challenges and Eli was just bored to hell. He hated those types of things. You could call him, an antisocial goth kid, as some may say. And truth be told, he could care less, but he agreed to it. The bell finally gave a shrilling ring and he was the first to run out the room. Walking to his locker, he could spot a familiar figure opening the locker _for _him. He smirked and jogged to the locker. A pair of brown eyes met his when he engulfed the familiar figure in a crushing hug.

"Missed me?" the person said after giving him a peck on the lips.

"Of course I did. What kind of a boyfriend would I be, Julia?" he winked after finishing.

Julia chuckled and kissed him again. She could feel him smile into it. They both pulled apart and walked over to the front doors, into the parking lot. They got into Morty and before Eli started the car, he spoke. "We gotta make this the most **memorable **summer okay? I don't wanna go into a new school and have no memories of my favorite beauty", he smiled. "Of course Elijah. I'll miss you so much when you leave. It would kill me to not have any memories." she blushed. Eli smiled once again and started the ignition. But before he could leave the parking lot, he said to Julia, "Oh, and, happy 2 years anniversary, love" Julia smiled and gave him a long kiss before they left the lot.

**Hah, I hope you guys like it so far /: because I have not written in a while! Next chapter, I will try to update tomorrow or the next day (:**

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	2. Baby Blue Eyes

**A/N: Thank you so much to all of those who alerted and who made it a favorite! Not much to say so hope you like this chapter (:**_** PS- I have decided on how I will outline this story. I will post somewhat of a diary entry in the beginning of someone's POV then I will make a NO POV section beneath it like in the first chapter(:**_

_Julia's POV_

_September 5__th__ 2010. _Today's the day. It's the last day of summer vacation. School comes back tomorrow and I'm a sophomore. Wooo, 2 more years and I graduate. But, I don't think I'll like this year. Eli won't be here. He's off to some rathole of a school. But, it could be exciting for him, ya know? I mean, Degrassi has had a death, shooting, and scandalous events go on. Oh, the danger will definitely entertain my dear Elijah. But I'll truly miss him. And a part of me worries that he'll get into the wrong terms with people again. Last time, he charged at a teacher. He even got our principal fired last year! He set him up, I know it. He just won't tell me. Anyways, it doesn't matter. We were together all summer. And I mean it literally. This summer, I had one too many disputes with my step-mom. My dad was away for business so he didn't really know the story. Eli and his parents gladly let me stay at their home. The guest room was an office so I had to stay in Eli's room.

You wanna know something, diary? I lost my virginity a while back. I guess when you stay in Eli's room; nothing is considered a barrier anymore. Funny story is I'm a devoted Catholic. In our religion, sex before marriage is considered a sin. But the thing is that it was my choice anyways. In my opinion, religion shouldn't interfere with what you just want. Now that summer's over, I was actually planning to still stay at Eli's. But, my dad came back. Him, my step-mom, and I had a _sit down. _I know. Intense right? Hah. We were to settle our differences and now I'm back at home. Oh whoop-de-doo. Eli didn't like the idea so much. But we couldn't do anything to change it. Oh, Eli is outside right now. Since it's the last day of summer, we planned to spend it together. I mean come on we won't be seeing much of each other now. Until next time, diary.

_NO POV_

_Sept. 7, 2010_

Eli Goldsworthy got out of his car and went off for Degrassi. Today's the second day of school. It was originally the day before but Eli took all day to register and fix up all the school forms to transfer. He would have gone to Julia's yesterday but his mom made him do some errands anyways. He was driving and he reached the parking lot when from afar, he could spot two girls fighting over something that looked like a pair of glasses to him. He scoffed at the silliness and proceeded to drive. When he passed them, he could hear a crunching noise left my Morty. He assumed it was glass and he angered at the thought that it could have somewhat damaged Morty. He stopped and got out of the car when he suddenly got astonished by a pair of ocean, baby-blue eyes.

He suddenly felt his stomach do flips and his heart thumped. The two made small even when the girl's friend just stood there staring talk while the girl blushed at Eli's compliment. They exchanged names. The blue eyed girl introduced herself as Clare Edwards while she sought her friend to be Alli Bhandari. Eli nodded and said his own name as well. They bid goodbye and he returned to Morty when in the corner of his eye, he could see the two girls squealing and Clare still blushing. He mentally slapped himself thinking _"Why do I feel like this? I have a girlfriend for Christ's sakes! I do not like her. She is just a girl I met. I love Julia. I know I do. Right?"_Eli parked the car and silently thought to himself.

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	3. Tulips, Kisses, and Guilt

_Clare's POV_

_Sept. 7, 2010. _Today's the second day of school, diary. Yesterday was quite an eventful day, I must say. Rumors, seeing everyone, oh Degrassi has truly not changed since grade 9. All except that my only boyfriend was stolen from me. But it doesn't matter. I'm over him and this year, I will show KC what he lost. But today at school, something strange stirred up my insides. Alli and I were arguing over my glasses to see if I were to just keep them on or not when it happened. The glasses fell on the pavement and a _hearse _ran over them. A hearse? Hah, I know right. But that's not the best part **yet. **A boy came out of the car and he had the most dazzling green orbs I have ever seen. I felt like I was hypnotized by them. I felt my knees turn into jelly, my stomach stirred around, hell, I think I even stuttered when we talked. He said I had pretty eyes! I honestly thought I was going to faint. But then I just bid him off. If I didn't, I think I would have fainted right there and then. When he left, Alli and I couldn't help but squeal. God, I hope he didn't notice that. It was a boring day from there. But I will not forget the day I met Elijah Goldworthy.

_NO POV_

It's nighttime and Julia had just finished her back to school homework, when she heard a tap on her window. She separated her curtains to see her boyfriend hanging off a tree branch with a dozen of blue tulips in his other hand, throwing rocks in her direction. She opened her window to let him in and gave him a subtle peck on his lips when he landed in her room. "Missed me?" she said, with a knowing tone in her voice. "Every day of every second, Jules." He replied, but with a weird intonation unlike times before. She noticed this change and asked him, "Something bothering you Elijah? Oh god, did you get into another fight at school?" He shook his head and started pacing around the room.

Julia gave out a sigh of relief, but she was still going to try and get to the bottom of Eli's new behavior.

"Eli, if you didn't fight, then what's wrong?"

He looked up and gave her a sad stare. He replied, "It's just that…..I miss you Jules. In my new school, everything is so different. I have nobody to talk to. I feel lonely. I know it's unlike me to be like that but I guess I just got used to having you and Tyler around that it's hard to adjust." Tyler was Julia and Eli's other best friend. He went to kindergarten with Eli so the two were considered as brothers.

Julia gave Eli a knowing smile and kissed him again. "Love, you know I miss you too. But change always has to happen. Don't worry, Tyler and I will be fine, and you will be too. You just have to wait and make an effort to have friends. Trust me, this year will be fine." Eli smiled back and replied "You always know what to say. I have to go now though. Tomorrow will be a new day and we both have school. Night, I love you." Eli left through the window once again and left Julia in her room, smelling the blue tulips.

_Eli's POV_

As soon as I left Julia's house, I felt a lump in my throat and my chest felt heavy. I was thinking about Clare Edwards more and more every second. I know that I haven't even gotten to know her yet but I just don't know. I get these weird antics when I think about or see her. Today, after I met her, I realized that we had English class together at the end of the day. When I saw her walk into the classroom, my stomach flipped. She noticed me and blushed. That made it flip even more. I went over to Julia's to fix over my feelings and see if there has been any difference. When I saw Julia, I suddenly didn't feel much. I didn't smile as much, my stomach never felt any different and when we kissed, it just felt like a wall. I had no emotion. Did I really fall out of love? No. I still had feelings for Julia, that's for sure. What I'm not so sure of is if I didn't have any for Clare Edwards. Oh boy, this year will kill me.

**So there is chapter 3! I'm not sure how I did with this one because I wasn't sure what to put here without giving out a secret for next chapter, haha :D Next chapter should be up around Tuesday or Wednesday, considering I have school. If you are lucky, maybe tomorrow (: Thank you!**

**Reviews? :3**


	4. Toxicity

**A/N: Just so you all know, reviews make updates appear faster! In this chapter, a few POV arrangements and such will be different. LOL I won't say much. Here you go (:**

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_Eli's POV_

When I got home that night after I left Julia's, I still felt heavy on the inside. I mean, come on. When you have confused feelings all of a sudden for your girlfriend of two years, who wouldn't?

I dropped myself on my bed and silently thought. _Is this just a phase? I bet. I don't even know Clare all that well. But, it's just…I don't know. _I sighed heavily. I fluttered my eyes and soon before I fell into a deep sleep, I saw Clare and Julia in my head, whilst I fell into a deep slumber.

_I was in a hallway with Clare during the winter school dance. Vegas night. We seemed to be having so much fun. We were running around the deserted hallways tickling each other when I captured her lips in a passionate kiss. I was about to deepen it when I heard someone cough in a sarcastic manner. I expected it to be a teacher so I pulled away. We were now faced with a dark figure. Clare was afraid and so was I. It was not only because they held a knife in their hand, but because I can't tell exactly who the figure was. I had a few in mind, but I couldn't imagine them doing something remotely like this._

_The figure started inching closer and closer until they hit the moonlight directing from one of the windows, giving Clare and I a clear image of who it was. She gasped and held me tight. The figure and Clare were talking with sounds I could not hear. Everything was blurring out slowly to me. Before I knew it, the figure pushed Clare into the wall and shoved the knife towards her. Before I saw anything more, everything blacked out._

_NO POV_

Eli jolted up from his bed, his face and neck dripping in cold sweat. His nightmare worried him; it scared him, to be honest. His hands were trembling and his body was slightly numb. He shook his head to get the scene out of his head, and tried to resume his sleep.

.-.

Eli woke up the next morning all groggy, due to the fact he didn't fall asleep until 6 AM and his alarm blared out death metal music at 7 AM. He did his usual routine and went to school. Upon arrival, he saw Clare again. His stomach flipped and his palms got sweaty as he grew nearer to her. But his mind was also intact with the events of the nightmare the night before. His expression turned from happy to sudden worry. He hadn't noticed but Clare saw the facial change.

"Eli, are you okay? You seem really out of it today and you're face is pale." She asked.

"I'm fine Clare. Just feeling a little nauseous." Eli said, but with no emotion; as if he was dead.

Clare wanted to ask again because she could tell he wasn't fine, but she left it as it was. She didn't want Eli to think she was clingy, so she dropped the subject.

To be honest, Eli really wasn't fine. He felt sick; literally. He decided to go home and rest for the day, bidding Clare goodbye.

_Eli's POV (At home now)_

_Damn, being sick really is a pain in the ass. It's so boring here. Maybe I'll go to Julia's. School's almost over anyways._

I drove off to Julia's. The 10 minute drive started to drop on my head. My head pounded and pounded, it hurt worse than before I left. I guess I should've drunk some meds before leaving, silly me. Maybe I'll just ask for some at Julia's. She always knew how to take care of me when I'm sick. Oh, I'm here.

I shut off Morty and I was about to take a nap when I noticed that there was music coming out of the house. It was from 'System of a Down' so I knew exactly that it was Julia's playlist blasting out. But, why? I thought she had school. _Hmm, I guess she stayed in today too._ I got out of Morty and went up to the door to ring the bell. _No answer._

Five minutes passed by already and nobody answered the door. _I guess she just left her speakers on._ I know it sounds naïve but I couldn't think of any other possibility. As I was about to walk away from the door, I randomly tried to open the doorknob and ironically enough, it was actually open. I walked in the house, listening for surrounding noises. All I could hear was 'Toxicity' blasting itself throughout the whole house. I guess Julia and her stepmom really did get through **some **compromise.

I was about to leave the house when I heard a scream upstairs. I ran to Julia's room but before I could enter, a few breathy moans echoed from her room. I scratched my head, confused. Her door was slightly ajar, and as bad as it may look, I peeked.

There was Julia, with my **best friend**, Tyler, eating each other out. I felt hurt, betrayed, and most importantly, _disgusted._ I slammed the door open, causing the two to look over wide-eyed. Julia stuttered, "E-E-Eli, I c-can explain b-baby." Tyler just sat there, with a look of shame spread wide across his face. But under it, I swear I could see a smug face.

"**I'm done with you! BOTH OF YOU!**" I exclaimed. While leaving the room, Julia spurted across and grabbed my arm, in tears. "Eli, I'm so sorry! PLEASE! Let me explain!" I shook her off, harsher than expected, and left her in tears; and Tyler with his jaw dropped.

_Everything went downhill from there._

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**Whew! Sorry it took a while, so many things got in the way, AHAH. Well next chapter this week (:**


	5. Remember December

**A/N: PS, Vegas Night did not happen in this story so NO uniforms, NO police searches, etc.

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_Julia's POV_

It's been a three months since Eli caught me with Tyler. No texts, no calls, no IMs, nothing. He completely shut me out for this time being. I couldn't help it. Tyler and I both missed Eli, we had a couple drinks and next thing I knew, we went at it. I love Elijah, I truly do. I regret my mistake very much and I wish he could hear me out. Although, what happened was still terrible and it is certainly no excuse for Eli to forgive me. Hmmm, I guess I'll have to fix my shit all on my own.

_NO POV_

Eli sat in the driver's side of Morty, just staring off into nowhere. Since the Julia incident, Eli pretty much changed a lot. He ate his meals alone in his room. He stared into space in class, and didn't talk to anyone. He was fine for the first month when denial got to him. But after that, everything went down. He barely talked to Clare or Adam, a new friend he also made during his short time in Degrassi. He was just there. It's like he had no purpose. Just a _filler _person, as they could ever say. Julia crushed his heart and this was all of the pieces left of him.

But one day, Clare cracked. She missed the old Eli. She missed talking to him, being his English partner, hanging out, everything. Even Adam missed him dearly. It had been Eli, Clare, and Adam. Without Eli, it truly was incomplete. So, they decided to go for it. They would bring _their _Eli back. First up was Clare.

_Clare's POV_

_December 9, 2010. _It's December and Christmas break was just two weeks away. I had been working all week to bring the old Eli back but nothing, and I literally mean nothing, could help him. I tried making him smile, I asked him to hang out, and I even resorted to tickling him but NO, he wouldn't budge at all. During the time he'd been like this and before, we grew close, **very close**. But this incident broke us apart. He shunned himself away and it killed me. I grew feelings for him and they grow, day by day. I'm going to help Eli. I can't stand to see him like this.

.-.

I got to school that Monday to greet Eli at his locker. There he was at it again; staring into space, carelessly stuffing books into his open arm. I surprised him from behind, hoping for a jolt from his body or some type of response. But nope again; he just turned his head to me and gave a subtle nod. I broke.

"God damn it, Eli! When will you stop this! It's been over 3 months! Come on, talk to me, at least!" I burst out. Everyone was looking at us. _Oh shit. _I looked over to Eli and I spotted tears forming at the edge of his eyes. This didn't look good at all.

"C-c-can we talk? Outside." He stuttered in between fits of breath. I curtly nodded and he linked our arms together while we went through the double doors of Degrassi. The bell had just rung but we both ignored it and sat at one of the picnic tables' just outside.

"I'm sorry I've been acting up a lot Clare. It's just...well, Julia really meant a lot to me. I mean, I loved her, you know. And Tyler, I've known him since we were both in diapers! Do you know how much it sucks for two very important people in my life to just…**betray **me like that? It hit me hard, right here" he pointed to his heart while continuing "and when I lost them both to this, I felt like I lost myself too." He finished but by that point, the tears in his eyes were building up fast, and I couldn't help but cry too.

"Eli, people in our life comes and goes, trust me. I've been there. And it hurts to be betrayed like that, a lot. I've somewhat been through that too. This, this girl…Jenna, she kind of stole my boyfriend from me and he obliged quicker than I could interrupt. All I'm trying to say is…no matter how important someone could be to you, if they hurt you, they hurt you. Simple as that. We all have to move on. We can't stop living, Elijah. We were given a life for that sole reason."

As I finished, I could somewhat a mix of a smile and a smirk from Eli. Not a complete smile, but it was alright. He spoke softly "You know Clare, I never thought I'd say this but you are amazing." He smiled. But this time, it was a **real **smile. Before I could respond any longer, I felt his soft lips on mine. I was opposed at first, but I soon caught up. Our mouths moved at a rhythmic pace and I felt his tongue slide into my mouth. We fought for dominance and soon after, he won.

Minutes passed, but it had felt like hours to me. We soon pulled away and I could easily feel my cheeks burn to an extreme temperature. I looked over to him and he gave me a soft smile. He soon interlaced our fingers together and kissed the tips of them. I blushed more and more to the point that it would be impossible for my cheeks to get any redder. I could tell he was about to speak but an unfamiliar voice soon interrupted.

"Class. Now." It was the principal and my former Media Immersion teacher, Mr. Archie Simpson. Eli and I both grabbed our stuff and waltzed into the school. I saw the principal give me a small smile and wink whilst he pointed to Eli. _I knew he had a soft spot for me. _I smiled and Eli looked over to me, reciprocating the action. He held my hand as we entered the school. The bell rung when we walked in and it was now time for English. _Oh boy, Adam needs to know this._

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A/N: Whew! That took a while, HAHA. I have been so busy with my school short story that I barely had time to write this! My short story was very dark, apparently (; I even used the names **_**Clara Edwin, Helen, and Randall**_** wink wink (; HAH sooo, this chapter might have been a little iurfgoernonr. Pardon for that. Next one should be this week as well (: There might be a ****surprise ****soon!**


	6. Until The Day

_Clare's POV_

It's been three days since Eli and I kissed. The butterflies are still fluttering in my stomach, especially when I go into deep thought about the incident. I even brush the tips of my fingers across my lips once in a while, remembering the feeling I got before, during, and after the kiss. Strangely though, shortly after our moment, Eli began to drift away from me. Him and Adam are on good terms again but I can't help but think that he's avoiding me. A girl can imagine, right?

.-.

It's been two weeks now and I realized that Eli really is avoiding me. I try to talk to him, he replies with one word answers; lucky, if two or three. I smile at him; he gives a small gesture and looks away. I tap his shoulder in English, and nothing. _Did I do something wrong? _I soon realized that he and I **needed** to have a talk.

_Eli's POV_

It's been two days since we kissed. I can still feel her lips linger on mine. The feeling soothes me; it even makes me blush from time to time. It is undoubtedly obvious that I like Clare. Hell, I'm not even sure if like is the appropriate definition. I consider it as an understatement, even. If she has enough power to make me forget about what Julia did, then I guess she really means a lot to me. But, I'm scared. Of what, you may ask? I'm scared that we'll end up like Julia and I did; under terrible terms with a scar inscribed in our hearts. Or maybe just mine, at least. So I am concluding it. I have to avoid Clare.

.-.

It's been a while since Clare and I talked, and I still feel terrible. Over the time I avoided her, my feelings didn't lessen. They grew, actually; and to a very high power. This girl will be the end of me. I want to be with her, no lie there. But, I just can't. I don't want to risk everything. I don't want to have and to cause heartbreak. I like her too much to even try something remotely close to that. I wanted to talk to her badly. I'd pick up the phone, dial, and then hang up. I would go behind her and want to tap her shoulder but I always end up walking away at the last minute. Face it, I'm a big, fat, coward. And I think I'll have to stay that way.

_NO POV_

Clare marched through the double doors of Degrassi, straight towards one Elijah Goldsworthy's locker. Once she got to her destination, her hands shook, her face worried, and small beads of sweat trickled down her forehead to her face. She was nervous. She had never confronted a guy before about their relationship. Well, with the exception of KC but that was a completely different story. After five minutes of waiting, she was about to give up when a familiar face finally came into sight.

Eli's eyes slightly bugged out at the sight of Clare. He was about to turn around and maybe walk or run away but he felt paralyzed. And, he knew he had to confront her sooner or later, nonetheless. He put on a brave face and walked over to Clare. Before Eli could speak, Clare beat him to it.

"Elijah Goldsworthy, what's going on?" Clare blurted out. Eli shook his head before speaking, "Clare, go in Morty. We're going for a ride." Eli spoke with no emotion. Just blank expression, but Clare didn't care at the moment. She nodded subtly and made her way through the doors to the hearse, with Eli following in her trail.

Once they got into Morty, Eli sped off from the parking lot onto the road. Clare was puzzled and to be honest, a little scared. She didn't know where they were going and she was skipping class again. But she just sat back in her seat and waited as to where Eli would take them. About twenty minutes later, Eli finally stopped in a park area. Clare noticed her surroundings and realized that they were just a few minutes away from the city area. They sat down at one of the benches nearby. Clare was about to start ranting but Eli cut her to it.

"So, here we are." He said, awkwardness filling his voice.

"Yeah" Clare said. She couldn't think of anything but she held no more back "Eli what's going on? Everything was perfect but then you started avoiding me. Did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me or something?" Clare finished, but Eli sat there; nothing escaping his mouth but one subtle sigh. Clare burst.

"Damn it Eli! God, just tell me if you hate me already! You don't have to hurt me" Clare cried out, tears slowly forming at the corners of her eyes. Eli was hurt too, and he knew he had to talk.

"Clare, I'm sorry. Really, I am. The truth is, I've been avoiding you because…well…I have two reasons. One, it's because I don't want us to try being together and ending up just like Julia and I did, with a lot of anger and pain. And two; because...I like you too much. Hell, I might even love you. But I don't want to hurt you. I don't want us to end up hating each other one day because I _carry a lot of baggage. _I just don't want us to act like strangers one day. I want us to know each other and care about one another forever. It's cheesy, I admit but it's just how I feel."

Clare was shocked. Speechless. She never knew that Eli cared about her for so much. All she could say was, "Eli, no matter what, pain or sorrow, happy or sad, laugh or cry, I will always care about you and love you. No matter how much we can drift one day, whether we dated or not, I will always love you. Remember that. And I completely understand if you don't want us to be together. As long as I know how you feel about me."

"Clare, I **want **to be with you. I'm just scared of the future." Eli said, more like a whisper.

"Eli, don't be scared. Everyone needs to take risks once in a while, maybe something like this. You can't be scared of what you don't know. You don't know what's gonna happen in the future if you don't try it. Michael Jordan said _you miss 100% of the shots you don't take_ and this is one of those shots."

Eli was speechless. _She's right, _he thought. He wanted to prove to her that he did love her so he gave her a smile, grabbed the back of her neck and pulled his lips to hers. She was hesitant at first, but she soon followed his lead. Their lips and tongues told a story, moving against each other with rhythm perfectly, like they were made to be connected. Eli pulled away, making Clare groan at the loss. But, Eli disappointed her no more when the next few words escaped his lips.

"Well then Miss Edwards, I'm going to take that shot. Will you be mine? Not forever, because we'll never know. But until the day we stop loving, will you with me?" Eli said, cracking a genuine smile.

Clare smiled as big as she could, ear to ear and without words, grabbed Eli's face and pulled them close together. No, they did not kiss, but their noses were just touching perfectly before she whispers, "Until the day we stop loving." she gave him a soft peck, their lips barely touching and pulled away only to see Eli's eyes closed, and his lips curled into a smile. This was just the start.

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**A/N : And there you go (: **_**Reviews? :D**_


	7. This Was Only The Beginning

**A/N: sorry late update! I have been sick lately and school is bull. But here is my best (= surpise at the end! :D

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_Eli's POV_

_January 6, 2011. _Today's the day before school starts again after winter break. Clare and I are still going strong, even though it's only been a month or less. It doesn't matter. I like her, a lot. I actually even forgot about Julia for a bit just then and there. She's been so supportive, making me happy and not to sound cocky, but I've also done my fair share of planting a smile on her face. Let's just hope this keeps up. I don't really need more drama in my life. I only need my family, friends, and most importantly, Clare, to make my life truly complete.

_Clare's POV_

School starts today. I slowly open my eyes, irritated at the bright sun peakin through my curtains. I sit up on my bed, only for my morning to be turned better as I saw a new text from my boyfriend, Eli.

_Good morning, beautiful, I'll pick you up at 8:15 :)_

I smiled at his small gesture to make me happy and averted my gaze onto my alarm clock that stated it was 7:15 am. I groaned that school was returning today for I will be faced with rumor drama around the halls, ignorant teachers, and homework. I was only grateful for school because I got to see my friends, my boyfriend, and that I will be enrolled in drama class again for the second semester.

_See you then emo-boy ;)_

I quickly texted back Eli before grabbing two towels and heading into my shower to get ready for school. Nothing can ruin this semester. Nothing.

_NO POV_

Eli pulled up by Clare's house, waiting for her to come out. He checked his reflection in the side mirror, trying to make sure he would look good when she sees him. He never really cared much about his appearance nor what people thought, but he just wanted to for Clare. Just her.

"Trying to look good for me Goldsworthy?" a soft voice said, followed by a loud muffled chuckle not long after.

"Only for you, baby Edwards" Eli responded, giving Clare a smile and a kiss through the window before opening his door and running to the other, opening the door for her.

"In you go, milady." He said, smiling. The two then made their way to Degrassi for a new day.

.-.

The couple soon reunited for lunch at the picnic tables outside, silently eating. Usually, they would be talking or kissing even, but the air that day just had a weird, twisted feeling to it. Clare was the first to break the silence.

"Eli, have you seen Adam? He seemed so invisible today, I haven't seen him."

Eli thought and realized that she was right. Adam seemed to be MIA all day. "Come to think of it Blue Eyes, I haven't even heard Adam all day. No mocks of me being whipped for you" Clare blushed at the words "No comic book bonding times, nothing. I wonder if he's okay. But I heard that he was in attendance though from Dave. Maybe he had other things to do."

With Eli's words, Clare felt fine, less worried of Adam, but she still had that pang of worry in her. She brushed it off and went on for the day.

.-.

The last period of the day. Eli sat in math class, agonizingly waiting for the final bell to ring so that he can bolt from the school and spend some time with Clare. During winter break, the couple barely saw each other with Clare all the way in Thunder Bay, a few hours away, visiting her grandmother for the holidays. Their only communication was through FaceRange, webcamming, and an occassional long distance phone call that lasted half an hour, if they were lucky.

Clare was already at her locker by the time Eli got out of class and after rushing to put his books away, he rushed to his girlfriend, twining their fingers together to walk out of the school. As the couple passed by the school office, Eli couldn't bother but to sneak a peek that Adam was at the office after missing out on them all day. He was about to call him over when he saw a familiar figure with their back turned to them. Eli quickly brushed the thought of who it was out of his mind and just waded off with Clare to their secret spot just nearby.

.-.

Nightfall dawned on them and the couple retreated towards home for another wretching schoolday ahead. Their makeout session during their four hours together practically made up for two weeks apart and their lips were swollen and numb. Clare gave Eli a quick kiss on the cheek before going on over into her home.

.-.

The next day, everything was normal. Same routine in the morning, going to school. But, when the couple entered the doors of Degrassi hand in hand near the main office, they saw Adam. But not just Adam. With Adam, was Julia giving a smug grin. Eli was staring in awe while Clare stood there with a smile, not knowing who she was facing.

"Hi, you must be new. I'm Clare Edwards" Clare stuck her hand out, a smile upon her lips.

"Hi Clare, my name is Julia. Julia Campbell. Oh you know, Eli's _ex-girlfriend._" Julia spat out but with a sweet tone.

"O-Oh, hi Julia." Clare said, stuttering unknowingly.

"So ,how have you been, Elijah?" Julia said, finally acknowledging Eli's presence within them.

"What are you doing here?" Eli spat out, anger wrenched in his tone.

"Woah, chill there Eli. I transferred from Bardell for the art program here. It's way better, did you know?" Julia said, somewhat or sarcasm in her voice.

All throughout their small confrontation, Clare stood there, shocked; while Adam stared in disbelief, mentally slapping himself for not knowing she was Eli's Julia. The four stood there, all eyeing each other.

_Oh, this'll be good.

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**A/N: There you go! (: Yes, Julia is now going to be attenting Degrassi from this chapter on. More drama will be ahead, trust me (;**

**REVIEW!**


	8. Mine

**A/N: Terribly sorry for the long delay! School, being sick, band camp, everything was just bleh! HAHA, well I hope this chapter makes it up (:

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_Eli's POV_

I stood there in shock, not knowing what else to say. Julia was here at Degrassi. _Attending _Degrassi. What the hell is going on? What does she want? Me? Clare? Forgiveness? Revenge? Well whatever it is, I won't let her get to me. Not at all.

_Clare's POV_

Julia. She's here and in the flesh. Why is she here? Is she really here for the art program or for a sinister plan of some sort? Whatever it is, I won't let her win and take Eli from me. She's had him once and now that we're together, she can't. It might sound selfish but she hurt him; terribly. And if it means for me to fight back just so she can't cause him pain again, then so be it.

_NO POV_

Eli was still looking at Julia. Well, glaring, more of; while the air between everyone was getting thicker by the second. Adam was the first to at least try and break the tension.

"Well, uhm, this was a lovely meeting we had. Why don't we all disperse for now, guys?" He said, trying to smooth things around.

"It's okay Adam. You and Clare go on ahead. I need to have a chit chat with Ms. Julia Anne Meyers. We need to catch up, right, Anne?" Eli said, venom dripping in his voice by the end of his sentence. Clare was about to protest until she saw the pain in Eli's eyes, waiting to attack. She shyly nodded and walked off with Adam, their whispers buzzing.

"My, oh my, Elijah; using the middle name, now are we? Must've been something terrible we had for you to pin me on like that." Julia said with a tone of seduction dripping in her words, causing Eli to snap.

"What the fuck do you want from me, Julia? I know for a fact that you're not here for the damn arts program. Bardell has a better one and you know it." Eli exclaimed. Julia flinched at his tone, but understood his emotion. She spoke softly.

"Okay, you got me Eli. I didn't come here for art. I came here for you. But not for the reasons you assume. After we…uhh..._ended_, I found myself missing you. Sure, as a boyfriend, but as a best friend too. You knew me better than anyone else and when we didn't talk, it was a sure stab to the heart. I just want us to be friends. Please, Eli?" Julia said, tears slowly building up in her eyes by the end of her banter. Eli stood there, emotionless, not caring that other students passing by were now staring and whispering. He finally gave in and put his arm around Julia's shoulder in attempt to at least comfort her.

"So does this mean you forgive me?" Julia asked, hope in her tone.

"I don't know really, Julia. It's just not completely possible. After what you did to me, nothing can ever be the same. But tell you this, maybe someday. For now, we'll be acquaintances. In the future, possibly we can be friends again. Sorry." Eli said calmly but with pure sincerity.

Julia smiled, "I think I can live with that."

"Are you with Tyler now though?" Eli asked with curiosity.

Julia nodded, looking slightly ashamed. "Yes. Almost 4 months I suppose…."

Eli popped his mouth and blinked slowly. "Well, I'm happy for the both of you." He frowned slightly in disgust a little short after.

"Are you sure? You seem…well, angry." Julia asked.

"No, it's fine. I have Clare now and she makes me happy to no end." Eli smiled at the thought of his girlfriend.

"Well, that's good Eli" Julia smiled "I have to go now though. I have to get to second period. This talk went by too fast. It was nice seeing you, Elijah."

Eli waved Julia off and realized that he also had to get to second period, English.

_Clare's POV_

It's English class and I'm slowly waiting for Eli. I was anxious to know what went down between him and Julia. I got tired of waiting in class and decided to ask to go to the washroom. After I went to pick up the hall pass, I set off in the hallway. After doing what I needed to do, a hand grabbed me by shoulder and another covered my mouth. I muffled and screamed but I was not heard. I saw myself being dragged into the boiler room but I could not see who grabbed me. They shoved me hard down the stairs and I rolled down in a fast pace, pain coursing through my body.

Before I blacked out, I heard a soft voice.

"_Mine._" It said.

I then felt a straight and painful kick into my abdomen, finally blacking out.

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**CLIFFHANGER! LOL, sorry if it wasn't too good, the next chapter, I promise we will get some action! But, I need at least 5 reviews if you want the next one (: Thank you!**

**REVIEW?**


	9. Ambulance

**Thank you for all your reviews last chapter! It motivates me to go on!**

_**Natsuki Sato: I only asked for reviews because I was not sure that anyone was reading it so I asked for feedback to see if anyone was interested.**_

_**Ilovetaylorswift13: a couple of months (:**_

_**LilithSky: THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING A LOT! ;D HAHA**_

**Here's chapter 9 :) PS, Adam is NOT in their English class in this story!

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_Eli's POV_

I was sitting in my current class, bored out of my mind. I wasn't even listening to the teacher, just mindlessly coloring my nails with my black sharpie. Thinking, what does Julia really want from me or Clare, even? Does she want to ruin my newly happy life? While thinking, I noticed that Clare isn't here. It's forty minutes into the 80 minute class and she's not here. I got to English 10 minutes late and assumed she was in the washroom but she's still gone. Her stuff is here, but she's not. Did something happen?

Before I could ask to excuse myself and search for her, Drew came barging through the door.

"Mr. Andrew Torres, would you care to explain to me why you are disrupting my class?" Ms. Dawes exclaimed, clearly not pleased at Drew's sudden intrusion.

"I'm so sorry Ms. Dawes, but I need Eli to come with me now!" Drew exclaimed back, dreading for air while panting. My eyes shot up, "_Why does he need __**me**_?" I thought.

"And why should I allow him to skip half of my class?" Ms. Dawes retorted, not giving it up so easily.

"**Because**" he added emphasis "his girlfriend, Clare Edwards, is being sent to the hospital!" Drew literally screamed, with pain in his tone of voice. I shot up from my seat, grabbed my notebook, waved off to Ms. Dawes and sprinted all the way to the front of the school, only to find my girlfriend on a gurney, being hauled into an ambulance.

"What the hell happened to my girlfriend?" I shouted, tears collecting in the corner of my eyes. _No. No. This can't happen. Is she dead? Is she okay? What's going on!_

"Eli, Eli, dude, you have to calm down!" a familiar voice said while taking a hold of my arms but I broke off. I found myself staring into Adam's dark blue eyes, my vision fogging up from my tears in the process.

"W-what's going o-on Adam? Is she fine? Is she alive?" Adam stayed quiet, staring at me before I broke again.

"Dude! What the hell! Tell me! What happened to her?" I kept screaming and shouting. My blood was boiling, I was sweating, I didn't know what to do. I felt light headed before Adam shook me and tried to calm me down.

"Eli, Eli! Look at me! Calm down!" He said, trying not to panic. I wouldn't budge. "Okay Eli, if you calm yourself, I'll tell you what I know, got it?" It took me a few moments before I could collect myself. Once I felt my breathing normalize, I nodded my head slowly. "Okay, that's better. Here's what happened: I was walking down the hall to the washroom when I heard a muffled noise and a bunch of thuds. It sounded serious so I ran over to where the sound could have possibly been coming from. I found myself in the hallway by the boiler room when I saw a shadow passing by, running. I didn't know what happened so instead of running after them, I went into the room, and there she was. It was Clare on the ground, unconscious, and with blood on her face and on the floor. Knowing me, I panicked, screamed, and finally called Simpson for help. He dialed 911, they came, end of story… well so far, at least." Adam breathed deeply after saying all the information all at once. Eli stood there, tears brimming in his eyes before he spoke.

"Adam, you know how to drive right?" He said, choking on a few words.

"Yeah, you taught me a couple of times and I got my permit last week." Adam replied, confused.

"Hospital. Now." Eli said, gritting his teeth.

"Eli! It's the middle of a school day!" Adam replied.

"I don't give a fuck! My girlfriend is in the hospital and we don't know if she's fine! Get in Morty and fucking drive us there! Please, Adam! I can't drive in this condition." Eli exclaimed, obviously aggravated.

"I don't know Eli… I'm still rough around a wheel..." Adam said, hesitating. Eli's eyes grew angrier but pleadingly as well. Before he could say another word, a shiny pair of keys jingled into sight, facing Eli's now surprised eyes.

"Maybe I can be of assistance?" The person said.

"J-Julia, what? Where did you get those keys?" Eli said, surprised.

"Oh please, remember? You taught me how to drive with Morty. You even gave me a pair of extras just in case you lost yours? Come on Eli. I heard Clare got hurt bad today. Just wanted to make sure you were okay. Then I heard you and Mr. Torres over here arguing so I thought, _What the hell_." Julia said, concern and pride in her tone.

"Okay fine. But do you remember how to run Morty? Remember, he's sensitive." He said.

"Of course! I missed the old hearse. Loved him like a kid… if that's even reasonable." Julia chuckled.

"Well then! We got a blue eyed girl to check up on!" Adam interrupted, walking off to Morty. Julia jingled the keys and hopped onto the driver's seat, Adam in the middle, and Eli in the passenger's. Time to see Clare.

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**A/N : I AM SO SORRY I UPDATED SO LATE. I did not have any computer access for a while and when I did, I was so busy. This chapter was also a filler of some sort but next chapter, I might have a few things in store (; **_**REVIEWS? :)**_


	10. This Is War

**AHHHHHH! MOTHERFFFUUU! I am so sorry I did not update for SO long D: I got some writer's block and some personal issues lately =.= but I'll do my best (:**

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_No POV_

Time stood still as Eli, Adam, and Julia rushed through the doors of the hospital; their footsteps increasing in speed as they run over to the front desk, Eli desperate to know how his girlfriend is coping.

"Clare Edwards please?" He practically screamed.

"Calm down sir. She is in room 230, floor number 2." The clerk responded, trying to fill her voice with ease.

"Thank you!" Eli shouted, whilst running towards the stairwell, not even bothering to wait for the elevator, leaving Adam and Julia at the desk. That's how desperate he was. Once he got to the room, he straightened himself out before knocking as calm as he could on the door of the hospital. A nurse opened the door, giving Eli a small smile.

"Come on in, the patient is sleeping, but I think she'll be glad to have a visitor." The nurse replied.

_God, this nurse is stupid. What if I was a serial killer? Would she still have said the same words? She doesn't even know me, _Eli scoffed at the thought. But he nodded and walked in; the nurse left, leaving him and Clare alone. He teared up at the sight.

His girlfriend, strapped onto various tubes, breathing in and out, but looked very uncomfortable. She had purple and red blotches on her forehead, cuts on various parts of her body, and a bandaged arm and leg. Nobody thought her fall was _that _bad but it ceased to expectations. Eli ran to her side, caressing her wounded arm, and whispering soothing words to Clare, even if she may or may not even hear him. Eli was so focused on her that he did not even notice or hear the door open and close behind him, leaving a very teary Adam and a shocked Julia.

"Oh…my…god…" Was all that Adam could even mutter out. He covered his mouth in shock and started crying. By now, Eli's eyes finally swelled out again and he and Adam just bawled their eyes out. Julia however, had no words to say.

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A month has passed on since Clare's accident. Two days after the accident, she had finally woken up and told the story. How she was pulled into the boiler room, that she was pushed down the stairs and the painful kick to her abdomen. She suffered various, with a broken shoulder, sprained knee, internal bleeding, bruising, and one broken rib, but she has healed through them all by now. The three misfits, plus Julia, are actually getting along together. Julia and Adam are the best of friends, and Eli and Clare, well, they're Eli and Clare.

But, approximately four months later, Eli talked to Julia about something very…nerve-wracking.

"Julia, I think I want to have sex with Clare." Eli said, with a mix of nervousness and confidence.

"Excuse me?" Julia almost exclaimed, but kept calm.

"Well, it's almost our sixth month and well, I really love her Julia…"

"You know what? Do whatever you want, Eli. It's your life, not mine. But just remember I was first." By now, Julia was starting to get angry.

"Why do you seem so mad, Julia? Look, I know we've done the deed but that doesn't mean I can't do it again. And what's wrong if you're first? That doesn't mean you have to be last."

"Okay. Fine. Whatever." Julia said before finally leaving Eli alone.

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Julia marched up to Clare's porch, ringing her doorbell. A happy Clare opened the door, curious to why Julia just popped up.

"Julia! Hi! I wasn't expecting you, what brings you here?" Clare said, while offering to let Julia inside, but Julia just shook her head.

"Would you sleep with Eli?" Julia blurted out.

"Why do you ask?" Clare said, curious.

"Just answer the damn question, Edwards!" Julia yelled, scaring Clare.

Taken aback by her outburst, Clare was shocked. She bit her lip, ruffled and scratched her head, but soon nodded.

"Why?" Julia said, pain in her tone.

"Because I love him, Julia. I'm ready. I've never been so ready in my life." Clare said, reaching a happy tone by the end.

"Well fuck you." Julia spat out harshly.

"Excuse me?" Clare exclaimed.

"He doesn't love you! He loves **me**! And only me! Don't set yourself up for pain, Clare." Julia said.

"Look, I'm sorry you didn't work out but Eli is with **me **now! And you can't tell me things like that. If Eli didn't love me, he'd tell me." Clare said, reassuring herself.

Julia scoffed, "He's only with you to get over me. Get over it, Edwards." Julia gave one last glare before leaving Clare.

"You bitch! If Eli loved you, then maybe he wouldn't have gotten so active with me." Clare said, chuckling at the last sentence.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Julia asked, turning around shocked.

"You heard me right. We've been pretty active. Not completely, but we're getting there." Clare finished, a smirk on her face, before flipping Julia off and finally slamming her door closed; leaving Julia with her mouth hanging open, completely paralyzed to her spot.

_This is war, Clare Edwards._

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